Bums, boobs, sunsets and sassy old ladies in Rio! - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
OLÁ OLÁ! Well hello there, fancy seeing you again! So I am very excited to be writing this today... As this means I am back in business BABY. AHWOOHOO. I am just beginning another adventure in a faraway unknown land... But this time I am not alone (well I wasn't really alone last time but you know what I mean)... I have my own partner in crime with me, on call 24/7, whenever I need him, (I have him well trained)... My lovely boyfriend, Josh! Oh, and Mini Oscar and Sheldon the Koala are joining me again, so two extra pairs of hands (paws) to help out when in trouble. But seriously, all jokes aside, I am so glad to be travelling with Josh, he is a great travel companion (I know this from previous short trips) and we complement each other well... And I feel extra safe having him by my side, especially because of where we are right now... SOUTH AMERICA. OH YES. The rival continent to Asia's natural beauty of mountains, lakes, beaches... South America is one place I have always wanted to explore, however it does seem to come with more of a dodgy reputation than Asia. So I do feel that extra bit more at ease knowing I have Josh with me (as do our parents no doubt!). Anyway, without further ado, let me crack on with the adventure! But I do warn you... This entry is a long'un... You may want to go fetch yourself a beverage now to keep yourself hydrated whilst reading... Maybe an authentic Brazilian Caipirinha? Just a suggestion...
So the first stop of our four-month adventure through South and Central America is the one and only RIO DE JANEIRO. WOW. What a place to start. We had a pretty long journey over here, taking three different flights via Germany and North Brazil.... But hey we got the cheapest price, cannot complain! Arriving at our B&B, Casarao de Santa, just before check-in closed on Tuesday evening, we were greeted by our lovely and welcoming host, Elena from Italy (and her adorable big friendly dog Melmow). She made us feel at home straightaway and had even upgraded us to an ensuite room for a few nights as there had just been a storm the day before and water had leaked through the ceiling of the cheaper room we were due to have... What a shame! Hello upgrade! We had found this B&B on Booking.com and booked straight away after having read the unanimously 5* reviews of the place and in particular of Elena. We weren't disappointed... Seeing as we were the only ones staying there until the weekend (low season), we had Elena's complete attention. She recommended us good restaurants and bars in the local area... We were staying high up in the city district of Santa Teresa (Elena compared it to London's Brixton, hip, up-and-coming, trendy alternative bars and restaurants, arty and colourful), in the northern half of the city... It felt so peaceful up here, away from the hustle and bustle of Copacabana and downtown Rio below us. We felt safe walking around the area and got to know one restaurant in particular very well... Simples mente. We LOVED this place. We had found this place on the first night for our first Brazilian Caipirinha, upon Elena's recommendation, and we ended up going back there two more nights during our five nights in Rio. It was just so cheap and cheerful! We particularly enjoyed their thin speciality pizzas with Brazilian cheese (Requeijão) as well as their black bean sauce with omelette, mashed potato and rice (this whole meal only costing R$18/£3)... YUM. You get so much food for your money at this place. We also tried a restaurant just up the road from Simples mente (also on Elena's recommendation), called Cafe do Alto, where they had a great live band playing (flute, ukulele, accordion, guitar) and we enjoyed some traditional north-Brazilian cuisine of Tapioca. A Brazilian pancake (can come weirdly in green!) filled with cheese, meat, herbs, you name it... It can go in there. We did enjoy them but personally I wouldn't order them again if there were other tasty looking/sounding dishes on the menu.... I just found them a bit odd. But anyway... Santa Teresa is definitely worth a visit when in Rio, and has some great views over the city and bay area... But be prepared to have to hike up and down the hills and steps from Santa Teresa to the local Metro station, Glória... We did sometimes take taxis (in the evenings) but these journeys do all add up so we took to walking quite a lot.... COR BLIMEY GUVNOR. I was a sweaty hot mess by the time we got to the top...! Josh couldn't believe that I'd ran three half marathons before as I could barely get myself up the 118 steps from near the metro station up towards Santa Teresa... I need to get back in shape, clearly!
After a much-needed LONG sleep, we awoke on the Wednesday morning, feeling tired but also excited to get out and explore the city... So much to do! Naturally, the first thing we wanted to see was the big JC... (Jesus Christ to those not so familiar with him)... Cristo Redentor up high on the 710m- high Corvocado (Hunchback) mountain, overlooking Rio and its people. Even if you don't believe in Jesus, there is a sense of comfort when walking around the city and looking up, seeing him looking down, arms open wide, sheltering and protecting all. So we made a stop en route, walking to Glória metro station by the famously colourful mosaic Selaron Steps, then jumping on the metro (which is ridiculously air-conditioned, efficient and clean, hats off to you Rio), to the stop 'Largo do Machardo' where we had some lunch in the square. After lunch, we crossed the square to buy our return tickets for the special 'Parque Nacional da Tijuca' vans which take you up to Cristo Redentor and back. WOW. The drive up the long and winding road to the big JC was amazing enough with some incredible views down on Rio... So when you get off and actually walk up to Cristo Redentor... You are just blown away. Quite literally by the wind actually. But no, the panoramic views from up here are breathtaking, you can see for miles... And it really gave us our bearings and a sense of the city. Of course, it was crowded but what can you expect?! You may get knocked out by a few selfie sticks and have to fight for a good spot, but it's all worth it. We then decided to hang around to see the sun set behind Cristo Redentor, so we enjoyed a drink and an ice cream at the cliff-top restaurant overlooking Ipanema beach and Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, whilst waiting for it to get darker. Unfortunately, the last van back to the city leaves at 6.30pm, and it wasn't fully dark enough by then to see all the city lights come on and start to twinkle, so we missed this... But the sunset at around 5.45pm was beautiful nonetheless. The following day, we ticked off another 'must-see' here in Rio... COPACABANA BABY. Due to the notoriously rife pickpocketing/theft around Copacabana, we decided that we either go there to swim and take NOTHING (but a few coins/notes) with us or we go with our cameras but just walk along the beach, not going in the sea.... Hmmmm, tough decision. So tough, we just decided to do it both ways! So that afternoon we went down to Copacabana and Ipanema beaches with our cameras/valuables etc, never letting them out of our sight... Enjoying the views and people watching (boobs and bum watching we called it, we're not really perverts, you just can't help it here in Rio, they let it all hang out!) with a few Caipirinhas/Aperol Spritzes/Beers at beach-side bars along the way to keep us hydrated during the 4k and then 3k walk... Copacabana is 4k long.... WOWZA. It even has signs along the way next to outdoor gym equipment, marking the distance walked/jogged so far... A real haven for exercise enthusiasts. We were basically exercising too... But rather than stopping at water stations along the way for hydration, we stopped at Caipirinha stations... Much better right? We had actually looked at doing a free walking tour today along the beaches and surrounding area, but even Elena had warned us mere pale Brits against a three-hour walk in the sun... And anyway, a few Caipirinhas down it was more like... "Errr, what free walking tour?!" However, if you want to order a drink at a bar here in Rio (although it was not always the case in some bars/restaurants we went to), make sure you order at least half an hour before you actually want the damn drink.... As that's how long it can take to get served! Josh reminded me rightly so that this is just their way and pace of life out here... We aren't in London anymore where everyone is charging about, getting things done at lightning speed as if the world were going to end tomorrow... Chillax man... Take a chill pill.... We are going to need to change our mindset if we are going to enjoy ourselves out here. But it's hard not to get frustrated when you've been waiting half an hour for a bloody Caipirinha! Ok, sorry... Breeeaaattthheeeeeee, relax. I'm all good, I'm relaxed man... Or as Monica Gellar likes to say... "I'm breezy!". That's it, I am now officially breezy for the next four months... So, anyway, our breezy selves walked in the hot sun (about 35 degrees, ARGH) along Copacabana, naturally singing "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl..." with a little swaying and prancing, spotting THE Copacabana Palace (where the likes of Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Brigitte Bardot and many more have stayed), admiring the boobs and bums, and dodging the endless stream of 'looky-lookys' as Josh likes to call them (the beach sellers with their sunglasses, hats, sarongs, the usual). But our favourite one was this guy selling joke beer glasses, which were actually filled with beer but had a sneaky clear plastic top keeping the glass sealed... So he came up to me at our table and pretended to drop the glass over my lap... OH MY WORD did I get a fright! It honestly looked so real... He then went around the rest of the bar doing the same thing to other people, so that was really entertaining to watch. We considered buying one... But then realised how little space we have and how POINTLESS they actually are. Hilarious, but pointless really.
After enough Copacabana shena****ns, we continued onto Ipanema beach from Copacabana, we had actually been told that Ipanema is the better and more authentic beach... But obviously Copacabana is the more famous one, but not necessarily the most attractive. Walking along Ipanema beach was beautiful, with the mountains looming up ahead, and it was definitely less crowded and tacky than Copacabana... However, singing and prancing along to Barry Manilow on Ipanema beach just doesn't quite work as well... So unfortunately I stopped singing about Lola and the yellow feathers in her hair... Crying shame, for me, and for the passers-by of course... No entertainment for them anymore! We then stopped for a late lunch at a popular restaurant, 'Papa Gui', right on General Osário Square by Ipanema beach, both enjoying delicious meat and salad meals, and Josh popping off to use the restaurant's toilet and literally not reappearing for almost half an hour, to the point that I was getting quite worried and was about to to go andlook for him... (I know what you're thinking, I obviously wasn't that worried if I'd already waited almost half an hour!)... Yes, good point. Turns out he had locked himself in, not in the actual cubicle, but rather the room of cubicles itself... So he had to cry for help, banging on another random door in the room guessing it lead somehow back into the restaurant... He then managed to get through, finding himself in some sort of dark store room, then his cries for help were answered when a confused member of the kitchen staff appeared and escorted him back out to the restaurant THROUGH the actual kitchen... ohhhh, the walk of shame. Josh quotes the experience as "I honestly thought I was in one of the 'Saw' films'... WOW. You should've just cried for Papa Gui babe, he would've saved you in no time. Well, that's enough adventure for one day! Anyway, moving on from horror film experiences, another must-see here in Rio (ok, there are quite a few of them), is to watch the sunset from the Arpoador Rock by Ipanema beach. OH EM GEE. This sunset was so bloody beautiful that we ended up coming back here on our last night to watch it again... It is just such a chilled-out place to go and sit down on the big rock (bit uncomfortable on the ol' bum but you get over that) with a couple of hundred other sunset lovers and fisherman (yeah seriously, it's a big rock) and take a few supermarket bevvies (keeping it classy)... HEAVEN ON EARTH. The sunset is framed between two mountains, and the sky turned such beautiful shades of orange, pink, then red... Then black. Obviously. But then the beach lights start to come on, as well as lots of lights on the mountainside which all started twinkling in the hot haze... It was honestly so magical. There was also a makeshift bar on the rock selling Caipirinhas and blasting out some music... All in all, a cheap sunset party really! What more could you want?
The following morning, we headed back down to Ipanema beach... But this time with practically nothing weighing us down... No cameras, valuables... NADA. Ok, a few notes and coins to get the metro, but we didn't want to have anything to worry about when frolicking about in the South Atlantic Ocean. We just wanted to have a good frolic. Is that so much to ask? We stopped off at a supermarket near the beach to stock up on cold water (at 11am, we weren't quite ready for Caipirinhas, shock horror I know)... One thing I will say about supermarkets here in Rio... (Well from our experience anyway)... Respect the checkout rules... Or you will get some sassy old lady tutting and rolling her eyes at you. We are good people, don't roll your eyes at me, lady! But no, we were actually in the wrong... We just didn't know it. They have quite a few nice rules here in Rio, such as female-only carriages on the metro during certain hours of the day (great idea) and then special checkouts in supermarkets for seniors, mothers with prams/young children or pregnant women... But these are not obviously indicated! So there we were, we silly foreigners, standing in line at the checkouts, minding our own business in amongst the crowds (so many people!), when these two old ladies, one in front of us and one behind, start giving us some attitude... Tutting, rolling of the eyes, the one behind even tries to move past us... What the...? Finally we both turn to look at her directly, and she points up at the sign hanging above the checkout indicating the special rules for this till... Ohhhhhhhhh. Whooops. We obviously felt bad and excused ourselves, but why the attitude lady? The sign was honestly so high up, out of sight really... I mean, who goes and stands at supermarket checkouts staring up at the ceiling...? So yeah, that was fun... Nobody likes to upset an old lady. We headed to the beach, feeling like two naughty children, but ended up forgetting about it all pretty quickly and enjoying a good splash and frolic in the (cold!!) sea... Well it warmed up eventually. It was so cool to be able to say we have swam on Ipanema beach in Rio... A few girls watched our cool Sainsbury's bag (repping Sainsbury's worldwide!) with our little money, sandals and clothes... But at least we didn't really have to worry anyway if our stuff got nicked as it is all easily replaced... Unlike iPhones, snazzy cameras, bank cards, etc. After a few hours of frolicking, we headed back to the B&B to freshen up and get ready for yet another stunning sunset up on Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain). So many amazing sunsets in Rio from so many different angles! Incredible. So we walked back down to Glória metro station, jumped on the metro to Botafogo station... We are now experts by the way in buying ourselves metro tickets at the ticket counters... "Olá, dois unitários por favor" ... Just about the one phrase we have learnt well here, along with "dois caipirinhas/cervejas por favor"... You know, the essentials. Alighting at Botafogo metro station, we attempted to walk the 25 minutes to Sugarloaf (but got a bit lost in the maze of streets!), and ended up getting a cab for £2 all the way to the cable car station... Oh how I love cheap taxis! Buying our return cable car tickets and boarding the car was all very easy and painless (low season) and we enjoyed the views on the way up... We had managed to nab a good spot by the glass window. You have to get off and then board another cable car halfway on Morro da Urca at 215m to continue up to the peak of Sugarloaf at just shy of 400m. The views from the top were stunning, and as we had arrived just before the sunset, the sky was starting to change colour and the reflection of the sun on Botafogo Lagoon was moving rapidly too... You can see everything from up here... Cristo Redentor across the way, Copacabana and Ipanema beaches below you to the left side, harbours full of expensive looking yachts and boats to the right side, as well as the smaller airport in Rio, Santos Dumont, where we watched all the planes taking off and landing... We had managed to nab a spot at the crowded viewpoint with the best sunset view... You just have to stand your ground and hold your spot! It was a beautiful sunset, Cristo Redentor and its surrounding mountains silhouetted whilst the sky reddens and then darkens behind them... This is the perfect postcard picture of Rio. We still preferred the Ipanema sunset as it's way less crowded, easy to find your own little romantic spot on the rock where you can sit down and enjoy a drink... And not be crammed up against a railing with dozens of other people all peering over your shoulder at the sunset... Not the most romantic of sunsets! But nonetheless it is definitely worth seeing from Sugarloaf... The journey up there and back is fun, and on the way back down, we took a little Caipirinha break on Morro da Urca ('tis a hard life) where there is a bar with a happy hour from 6-8pm (YAY) and enjoyed the views over the northern bays of Rio, with all the lights starting to twinkle away at us as the darkness of night introduced itself.
After our daily dose of Caipirinhas, we headed back to our beloved 'Simples mente' restaurant in Santa Teresa (of course!) for dinner and a few drinks, before popping back to the B&B to change for a few drinks out on the town! You cannot come to Rio without heading down to the Lapa Arches in the Lapa district where Rio's nightlife is booming... Streams of food and Caipirinha stalls and samba bands playing in the street. We bought a cheap Caipirinha from a street-side pop-up bar and as usual, kept it classy, by sitting on the kerb on the side of the main party street, absorbing the lively atmosphere and people watching... Throngs of people just hang out on the street, outside bars, listening to live music... We looked into going into one of the famous samba clubs here in Rio but it was going to cost us about £6 each to get in... Which is not much compared with London club prices, but as we had been advised to literally take nothing with us down to Lapa due to pickpocketing... We had only bought enough money for some drinks and a taxi home... So sadly, we decided against going into one of the samba clubs and chose to instead enjoy a few more drinks in the surrounding bars and then afford a taxi home! But Lapa and its famous buzzing main street Avenida Mem de Sá are definitely worth checking out... Rio is certainly a city that never sleeps! Which can be hard to get used to, when you're out all day sightseeing and exploring in the overwhelming heat (it's not even summer here in Rio...!), feeling knackered by the evening after dinner, and then going out til the wee hours drinking and exploring the nightlife... We didn't quite make it til 4am like the locals, but we did well given our busy itinerary here in Rio! PHEW. Finally, our last night was spent eating and drinking in our favourite neighbourhood in Rio... Santa Teresa. We had come across a fancy looking restaurant earlier in the week, Italian stonebaked pizzaria 'Rustico', hidden away up high in the canopy of the trees, next to our beloved Simples Mente restaurant... So we decided to treat ourselves to one of their pizzas on our last night in Rio... And boy was it worth it, it was just so magical. It felt like we were eating up in a fantasy treehouse, with lanterns and glass mosaic paintings and cool plants... And the pizzas were to die for and reasonably priced (we shared one large pizza for £10).
However, sadly it's now time for us to say "até logo" to our beloved Rio, you have been amazing... what a great introduction for us to Brazil and South America! It really is such a diverse city... With peaceful, deep forest and mountains seamlessly merging into the hustling and bustling, crowded downtown and beach areas, and then there are the favelas stacked up high on top of one another, next to a quaint, more aesthetically-pleasing colonial resiedential area... It seems that Rio has many sides, and we have probably only seen just a few of its different faces. An excuse to come back one day! Not that we need one... So we're now off heading south down the coast to the small colonial seaside town of Paraty and Trindade (upon Elena's recommendation)... Onwards and upwards! At least now we know to glance up at supermarket checkouts here if we want to avoid some sassy Brazilian old lady attitude... Don't mess with them!